Daylight
by Judithan
Summary: Freedom can only be taken, not given, and Shadow -Prince of the Sun Tribe- is ready and willing to put everything on the line and run away. Friends and family can't make him stay, and just as he receives his first real taste of independence, a chance encounter with someone will change his life forever. What he doesn't know is that war is on the horizon. Knuxadow/Shadilver.
1. Chapter one: Coming of Age

Daylight

Chapter one: Coming of Age

Note: Everyone in this is human, for the most part. They all have tails and ears like their original designs, but that's it, in terms of furriness. Also, there will be a little bit of ooc involved, but that's the same with all AUs. If it gets too much in any part, let me know and I'll rewrite it as best as I can! Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: All characters involved belong to, and are property of Sega and the Sonic Team. I don't own anything except the concept for the plot. If I did own Sonic, then everything I love would be canon.

(x)

"-ke up!" A grumble and a groan sounded from the mountain of black and red blankets, and the boy gave a determined scowl. Even with the light filtering in through the closed curtains, surely this figure's internal clock wasn't so skewed that sleeping until the middle of the day was an option, was it?

Upon hearing another weak snore, clearly, it was.

"Wake UP, Shadow!" And before the sleeping teen knew what hit him, all the blankets and comforters he had procured were ripped off of him, discarded on the floor. Somewhere in the mass of blankets his leg got caught, so he went down with his blankets- head hitting the floor none too gently. A thud resounded through the room, followed by a long string of vehement, half-asleep cursing.

"-ing shit, Sonic, what do you _want_?" Slurring and obnoxious, the rudely awoken teen rubbed his aching head, black and red hair unruly under his hand. Sleep was still heavy over him, as he attempted to untangle his limbs from the mess of fabric. Unfortunately, the task proved too challenging in his state, and he opted to stare at the individual who woke him. His gaze met blue hair, bright eyes, and a disgruntled look on his face that bordered amusement and disapproval. Shadow simply stared up at Sonic with an incredulous smirk plastered on his face, though he was by no means amused.

"It's almost eleven, idiot, we've been waiting on you for breakfast," He paused for a second, staring at the disgruntled teen. " Do you even remember what day it is today?" The look of amusement faltered on the blue-haired teen's face. Instead, it became a look of annoyance as his question was ignored, in favor of Shadow trying to get his bearings.

After a few moments of watching Shadow attempting to detangle himself from the mass of blankets, he let out an exasperated sigh. Sonic bent over and pulled away enough of the blankets for the black-haired teen to finally stand up. Shadow flashed an appreciative smile before becoming stoic and dusting his hands off, like it was all him. His younger brother gave him an incredulous look before continuing on.

"It's our birthday." Shadow nodded absently, walking over to his dresser –black, just like everything else in his room.

"Fuck- is it really?" His exasperated words betrayed his nonchalance as he dug through one of his drawers, trying to find a shirt to throw on that wasn't something his mother would consider 'fit for peasants' –whatever _that_ meant. Eventually, he settled for just wrapping up his tattoos and throwing on his favorite jacket; black, with red stripes on the sleeves, and copious amounts of white fur lining the collar.

"Yeah it is, and just because we're of age doesn't mean you can just say whatever the hell you want." The blue-haired male gave him a disgruntled, but cheeky smirk. Both of them just gave each other a look, almost as though amused at how hypocritical that statement was. However, neither would admit they were mutual on any topic.

"Whatever, faker." While Shadow didn't care too horribly what his family thought of him, he felt that it would be better to change his pants before heading out. After all, his mother had told him enough times to stop looking like the help that he could hardly stand it any longer. Fortunately, he and his brother had stopped caring about seeing each other change so long ago that it didn't weird either of them out too horribly.

"No, really, you've been calling me that all month, what _does that even mean_?" His eyes went wide, mouth drew into a straight line, and his hands shook just so, to accentuate his speaking. Shadow ignored his question, though, opting instead to throw on some socks and shoes.

"I'm heading down to get breakfast; get out of my room." Without another word, he exited the room, and smirked when he heard Sonic walk out behind him, closing the door closed with a satisfying click. Everyone knows the rule about Shadow's room; door stays closed at all times of the day, no exceptions.

Walking down the hallway, Shadow was pleased by the usual click-clacking of his metal-toed shoes hitting the expensive marble that made up nearly every hard surface of the castle. Living the life of luxury was most certainly the only part he enjoyed about even being near this stuffy home.

"Don't have to ask twice, freak." Sonic tried to murmur under his breath, but he never really was one for being quiet, or even keeping his mouth shut. The black-haired teen stopped dead in his tracks, turning around to glare daggers into his twin's face.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing, but Mom's not gonna like your new color. Black and red? Can't say I didn't see it coming. I think some of your roots are showing, though." He practically sing-songed as he made his way past his older twin, hands resting on the back of his neck in such a way that he seemed oh-so innocent. However, the cheeky smirk plastered across his face would beg to differ. All Shadow could do in response is let out a slur of indignities and flip the teen off.

"Wipe that shit-eating grin off your face before I come over there and-"

"PRINCE SHADOW, GET OVER HERE RIGHTTHIS INSTANCE!" Before either of them saw her coming, a familiar form was nearly screaming at the black-haired male from the base of the castle's marble stairs. The scowl that had been on Shadow's expression was replaced by a look of fear and disapproval.

"Busted!" Sonic hummed, relishing in his twins misery. He continued on his way, grinning like he had nothing better to do with his face.

"Shut up, faker." The black-haired teen called after his twin, just as Sonic was turning a corner, and barely caught the younger male flipping him off. He couldn't help but feel his blood boil at the gesture, but was left without any means of retaliation.

"Shadow, you better have an absolutely incredible explanation for why your hair is a different color!" The girl's fists were curled on her hips, causing her white dress to curl up, if only enough to show more of her slim legs. Shadow would never say the girl was unattractive, but she most certainly wasn't the girl for him, no matter what his mother claimed.

"Good morning to you, too, Elise." Dead-pan and sarcastic as always, he enjoyed watching the brunette's eye twitch a bit under what he could only assume was mental strain. At least, that's what he assumed females had, considering how she and his mother acted all the time.

"Don't try dodging my question. What happened to your hair?" Tentatively, she reached up and lightly pulled on one of the red streaks that flowed out behind his ears. Not caring to be too polite, he brought a hand up, swatting hers away.

"I dyed it."

She heaved out an exasperated sigh into her hand, trying her hardest to keep her temper in check. Though, from the look on her face, she was just about ready to cry, scream, or both. He didn't care too horribly, though, and opted instead for shoving his hands in his jacket pockets and letting it be known how little he cared.

"Our wedding is in less than a week, and you go and pull a stunt like this?" Elise's voice was harsh, not even caring to sound fragile or hurt. It was clear in the way she talked to him that she was no more hurt by his changed appearance than she was in love. Arranged marriages tended to spark empty relationships.

"It's only a wedding if both people are there." His words came out cold, and he saw the hurt look on her face. There was nothing between them, so it didn't hurt to hear that they didn't truly care about one another. Hearing that Shadow wasn't even trying to pretend was what hurt.

"Shadow! How can you say that, after all you've done-"

"You mean, after everything my mother has done. I haven't once agreed to any of this." The heels of his shoes clicked on the floor as he tried to walk past her, stopping only to inform her of his true feelings about the situation. After all, with the wedding so close, he'd do anything to get out of it.

"But I thought you-"

"Only because my mother forced me into this." Mimicking Sonic, he placed his hands on the back of his neck, elbows out. To say he couldn't have cared less about his supposed fiancée's feelings was something of an understatement. Without so much as a final word on the subject, he set off towards the dining hall, trying to ignore the shouts of the to-be queen.

"Sha- hey, Shadow, where are you going?" Her tone was not demanding so much as it was insulted. Taking a glance back at her, he noticed her knees bent in and fists curled, lip nearly quivering. When things got tough, she always was a bit of a cry-baby, even though she liked to act tough.

"To get some breakfast, as I had intended on the first place." And without a word more, he turned the corner and could only faintly hear her fuming, before the halls became silent, besides the white noise of the help running to and fro. He never could understand just how hard it was to maintain a household where no one besides him made any messes, and no one hardly interacted with one another.

The white marble that covered the castle made it shine brilliantly in the morning sun, and if Shadow was more melodramatic, like his mother claimed he was, he may have feigned melting under the rays. However, he had not been subjected to vampirism, and simply continued on his morning walk to the dining hall, which he absently mused to himself as to _why on earth is it halfway across the entire estate_? Surely the people who originally designed the castle hadn't intended on making a poor, brooding teenager-turned-adult walk nearly a thousand yards just to get some bacon and toast!

Not that it really mattered, though, because when it came down to it, the morning walk he got between getting dressed and getting to eat helped him wake up and act less like the walking dead and more like a somewhat civilized human being. At least, that's what he told himself, despite how he knew how vigorously his mother would disagree if he ever said that aloud. She was always complaining to him about sitting up straight, acting like royalty, and for the love of _god_, Shadow, would you stop trying to summon Solaris in your mashed potatoes!

Okay, so, that was only one time. But, still.

Turning another corner, Shadow snapped out of his thoughts just in time to watch the open double doors leading to the dining hall disappear behind him. At the massive table, with its total of 52 seats, sat Sonic and his mother, as well as a white-haired girl with hedgehog ears –perhaps someone from the village? The girl and Shadow's mother were discussing something, taking every few minutes to eat, properly chew, and swallow.

Shadow didn't care too much about formalities, however, and just grabbed a seat right next to Sonic, scowling at how he was already half-done with his food.

"The Night Tribe, you say? I haven't heard anything about them since-" The look on his mother's face was one of concern and confusion, and Shadow was mildly disappointed that he hadn't heard what spawned it. What he wouldn't give to spoil his mothers mood. Apparently, the sound of him sitting down interrupted her thoughts, as her attention quickly went from the –surprisingly heavily-dressed- girl to her rebellious son.

"Oh, Shadow, I see you're finally ready to join the land of the living." The blue-haired woman's voice was hardly amused, but she tried to force a pleasant smile on her face. She had long since stopped entertaining Shadow's belligerence, but was obligated to act like the proper Queen everyone knew her to be, due to this guest.

"Not quite, but I thought I'd entertain you and, whoever this is." Red eyes scanned over the white-haired girl's face, finding her to be much less feminine up close.

'No matter,' He thought to himself. 'It's not like this girl would be able to get me out of here.' But even then, he never fully averted his gaze.

"This is Silver, the Prince of the Snow Tribe." Shadow took a double take, looking up to see that, yes, that was most definitely a male, considering the Adams apple that his fluffy collar tried to hide, and his masculine jaw line. It didn't bother him too horribly, though; he didn't have time to try and find someone he would ever consider dating with his mother hovering over him with the promise of arranged marriages. If it hadn't been forced upon him so quickly, he may have even consider Elise, but with the rules applied, she just wasn't appealing to him.

"Name's Shadow, Prince of the Sun Tribe." He declared with a small head nod. A tight smile formed over his lips, because out of everything his mother taught him, the only thing that stuck was that first impressions were the most important, and he wanted to give this kid every reason to think he was bad news. The fewer friends he had, the better, he felt. After all, no one can snitch on you if you take all your adventures alone.

Picking up a fork, he poked hesitantly at the eggs on his plate before diving into them, hardly even concerned about the fact that all eyes were on him and his lack of manners. Food was food, and he didn't have time to be pussy-footing around when the people he hated most sat mere feet away from him. Looking up for the briefest of moments, he felt satisfaction in the fact that his mother was staring at him in pure horror, while Silver simply sat and pleasantly smiled. To his right, he could almost feel the negative aura of his twin, and casting a glance, he could see the look of disgust on his face.

"But I heard from Queen Rune that Sonic, here, was the…"

"Yes, well, he's the one that my mother is proud of." Silver's face twisted to an expression of amusement and shock, lip drawn tight to try and hide the smirk shining through.

"Shadow!" Voice indignant, Shadow's mother gave him the most incredulous look she could muster without looking absolutely enraged. He didn't bother to make eye contact, simply ate the rest of the food he was planning on eating before getting up from his seat.

"Thanks for the food, I'm going to go hang out in my room and not talk to anyone for the next six hours. Let me know when the ceremony is; I plan on missing it." Nonchalantly, he waved his hand in a dismissing manor, not caring to push in his seat as he stood, or even taking care of his plate –surprising no one, considering how he never did on any occasion other than major gatherings.

"Shadow!"

With a final glance back, once he reached the door, he noticed his family discussing something with one another, and a cautious, almost concerned look from the white-haired boy.

He didn't need sympathy, though.

All he needed was freedom.

He sulked off to his room without another look back.

(x)

I was really debating having it go on some more, and having each chapter be 4-6k words, but I think I'll start with a smaller chapter, so you guys don't get your hopes up. So far, I've introduced our main hero, Shadow, his shithead twin, Sonic, their mother, Rune –I'm not a huge fan of original characters, but she's the only one, and I do plan on expanding her character a bit more. And, one of the love interests, Silver.

If anything seems out of character, or generally awkward, let me know! I'm always up for suggestions, so just let me know what you're thinking! I have a bad habit of going from past to present tense, sometimes, so if anything is really obvious, and I missed it, let me know. :3

(There won't be _nearly_ as many notes in further chapters, if anyone's concerned.)


	2. Chapter two: Graceless

Daylight

Chapter two: Graceless.

(x)

Outside the open window, Shadow heard the sound of the bustling commerce and energetic voices. Even though the sun was hastily retreating behind the mountaintops, it didn't stop the human and beast-men activity in the streets. Nothing but the dead of night could do that, he found. Just looking down at the town from atop the hill where the castle was built, he felt disgustingly superior to his people –which he only smirked grimly at. There was no way in hell they were 'his' people.

On any other afternoon, he would be down there, running along the rooftops, avoiding the streets like the plague, considering how they were littered with soldiers who would drag him back to the castle, all just for a taste of freedom. Today was special, though. He had confined himself to his quarters to avoid everyone and everything as he tried to find a way to store as much of his belongings as he could into one bag before he quietly slipped out the window.

He had planned on running away for some time, but never felt it was something absolutely necessary. After all, something always happened, and everything calmed down. Yelling reduced to apologies, and brawls reduced to bandages. Everything calmed down, and normalcy would always return.

But, once the ceremony commenced, and Shadow was finally named King, normalcy would never return.

The bag on his bed already filled to the brim with as much clothing and 'necessary' items –such as money he received as 'allowance' and some rations he stole from the kitchen, consisting of three bottles of water, a fairly large bag of nuts and candy, and about a dozen gross-tasting protein bars his sword instructor told him were good for sustaining strength over long endeavors. He was by no means unprepared, and now, all that was left was to wait for nightfall, so he could finally depart for the last time from this god-awful castle.

Perched in the windowsill, he looked down at the town, noticing street light after street light fluttering alit. Twilight certainly was his favorite time of day, he had decided long ago. So much mindless activity between the pawns in the street he was supposed to become the ruler of, in mere hours, but with the tranquil beauty of the setting sun marking the inevitable end of the day.

'God, I sound like Elise on her 'good days.' He mused to himself, chuckling halfheartedly as he remembered that she would be sourly disappointed in his disappearance. Even though he wanted out of this game, the black haired male wanted in no way to hurt the people around him.

All he wanted was freedom, and if he had to take it by force, so be it.

Removing himself from the windowsill, he made for his desk across the room. The dust on it made it known how often he actually used the wooden space-filler, but he paid it no mind. There was something important he had to do, and as he grabbed a piece of paper and pen, he set to work thinking on how he should word his goodbye note.

Word after word, crumpled page after crumpled page, he felt exasperated by the time the sun finally set behind the mountains and he still didn't have a noteworthy farewell note. The last clean page of paper stared up at him, and he realized that this was his last chance to get it right.

Exhaling a sigh, he searched his mind for the right words, finding that they came so much easier than he would have thought.

The words on the page were messy and scribbled, but he couldn't care less. Having neat handwriting was always Sonic's thing, and now that he had resigned from royalty, it didn't hardly matter.

Nothing matter anymore, now that he was so close to freedom.

He smiled sadly to himself, staring at his room one last time as he grabbed the well-packed bag off of his bed and approaching the windowsill. So many memories happened in this room, from his first lost tooth to his first attempt at dating a girl to the biggest fight he's ever had with Sonic, even to date. The scar on his side still stung from that fight, even though it was over two years ago that it happened. Falling on glass tables tended to do that. His mother never kept glass furniture in the castle, ever since.

She had been so scared to lose him.

How ironic, considering how he was just inches away from freedom. Sweet, sweet freedom.

A knock on the door interrupted him. Fear ate at his stomach, because if that was his mother, there would be nothing he could do to escape.

"Shads, I'm coming in. You better not be touching yourself." The casual voice of his brother made his stomach churn even more than if it had been with his mother –at least she would never lay a hand on him. The knob turned, door creaking as it opened. As soon as the blue-haired male saw his brother, he knew something wasn't quite right. The bag slung over his shoulder spoke volumes, and when he looked over to see the lone, folded paper on his desk, he knew exactly what was happening.

"W-what are you doing? Were you just going to run away?"

"That was the plan." Voice humorless, Shadow refused to look the younger of the two in the eyes. This wasn't something to be taken lightly, and he didn't want to add insult to injury. The blue-haired teen stepped forward, just an inch, and in the fading sunlight shining through, the prince could see the torn look on his face.

"Shadow." His voice was icy, almost vehement, but with a sound to it that made it seem like he was trying to stay calm. Just stealing a glance at the younger male gave away just how absolutely livid he was.

"I know you're probably upset, bu-"

"ARRGG FUCKIN SHIT SONIC, WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" A solid punch collided with his nose, a sick pop echoing in the room. Blood gushed out, a sharp sting that infected his entire face. Gloved hands rushed up, red quickly staining the white cotton, but the melodramatic prince couldn't be bothered to care.

"For leaving without even saying goodbye!" Though his mind was more concerned about stopping the blood gushing down his face and ruining his jacket and gloves, he quickly took note of the wounded tone in Sonic's voice.

"I left a note." He offered, noticing the other visibly cringe when he popped his nose back into place, a sick crack sounding for all of a second, and a searing pain left lasting.

"Like that makes up for it!"

"Sonic…" The bleeding finally stopped, but the blood had thoroughly stained Shadow's gloves and jacket, and he simply chose to discard both on his bed. Nearly forgetting he hadn't opted for a shirt, this morning, he felt the chill of night hit his skin, and felt his mood dip just a bit more.

"Here, I only came to give you your birthday gift. Wanted to see you wear them when you were named King. Guess that isn't happening, huh?" A bit of a pout could be seen on the blue prince's face, and Shadow could almost feel the spear of guilt lodging into his chest. This wasn't supposed to have happened –running away should have been easy, not meant to make him second-guess everything he had wanted. Forcefully, the blue-haired teen pushed an unwrapped box into his older brother's hands, startling Shadow at the forcefulness.

"I, well, no." The silence was tense, and Shadow felt sheepish for even bothering. He kept telling himself how ridiculous it was trying to do something to make this messed up situation any less, but never the less; he tried and tried to say something –anything- that would cause further trouble. While he never cared about being polite, ruthlessness was never his intent.

"Figures." Spite laced his words like arsenic, and Shadow felt his heart stop. "Go ahead, open it." It was almost a challenge he could hear in his twin's voice.

"Sonic – these are-!" Opening the box revealed a pair of shiny red, white, and black jet shoes, fashioned from metal and durable, almost solid, plastic. Everything about them was perfect, down to the exact color coordination, size, and clasp.

"You kept telling me how the shoes Tails engineered were so cool, when he last visited, so I got him to make you a pair." Even though the blue-haired teens words were quiet, almost careful, the smile on his face was genuine.

"Thanks." It was all Shadow could say before slipping out of his favorite – and unfortunately tattered- pair of shoes, carefully pulling the jet shoes on, testing the accelerator in the sole of the shoes to find that they did, in fact, work just how they should.

"Hey," Sonic paused; face appearing that he was internally conflicted. "Don't get yourself killed, okay? I'd like to see you again, whenever you feel ready to return." They both knew it was the closest thing Sonic would ever come to saying what he really felt, but neither minded too horribly. There was a subtle language between the two that they had become fluent in since they were children. Perching up in the windowsill, the black haired teen offered a hint of a sad smile, eyes apologetic.

"Don't worry, I'll be careful." And without another word, Shadow bounded down onto the roof of another part of the castle that only had a single floor. The foreign shoes were exciting to him as he practically sprinted across the rooftop, pressing down on the accelerator and finding he could practically glide with them. Behind him, scorch marks traced his path, and he didn't care in the slightest.

Before long, the gaze of his brother was nothing but a distant memory, and he was approaching the city limits. While he had made his way back and forth between areas of the rooftops capable of holding his weight, he was silently wondering how he would make it out of the gate unnoticed. There was nearly an entire half mile between the main gate and any settlement in which he could use to roof-hop over the gate.

Silently, he traversed the dirt road that connected the city streets and the main gate. Even if this was his country, technically, guards that saw him out and about were ordered to drag his sorry ass back to his mother –something that wasn't an option, at this point. He had one shot, and failure was not an option.

As he approached the dimly lit gate, he noticed something peculiar in front of it –an automobile. While they were becoming more and more accessible to lower classes, one of this model and pristine could have only belonged to a noble –royalty, at that. Taking a better look, he noticed the swishing of white hair in the backseat, on the driver side, and immediately realized who it was; Silver, the Prince of the Snow Tribe! He must be on his way out of the city!

Without so much as a noise, the Sun Prince made his way across the city rooftops, nearing the car with unheard of speed. Jumping down, he quickly approached the car, trying to seem as calm and not suspicious as he possibly could. Before he could even tap on the window, it was rolled down, revealing the smiling face of the white-haired prince from earlier.

"Prince Shadow, pleasure seeing you here." A curt nod accompanied the pleasant smile, and Shadow felt obligated to try and feign politeness in return. Even though he wasn't nearly as reckless as his brother could be when his mother wasn't hovering, genuine politeness was never something he was able to grasp.

"Heading out so soon?"

"Business visits are always short, I've found. Though, your tribe is always one I enjoy visiting." He stuck his head out the window, slightly, looking back longingly at the city. Shadow might have agreed, had he not felt the very city enclosed around him as he walked down the streets.

"Well, if you don't hurry, you might miss seeing our new King being crowned." Shadow said, his words sobering him of his adrenaline rush. 'That is, you might have missed me being crowned', a part of his mind said bitterly, and he let it. After all, it was true. He was supposed to be named King, and he was supposed to rule the tribe, but he had so many more important things to do, like chatting with the Prince of the Snow Tribe, and trying to convince the kid to sneak him out of his own country.

"As will you."

"I came here with the intent to leave." A false bravery took over, and inside, he was left with a bile on his tongue. How much more of a coward could he be, before the night was over? If it was up to him, he wouldn't have dared to figure out.

"Oh." The male's lone word was hardly above a whisper, but it spoke volumes. Had he thought Shadow was there simply for a personalized escort from the lovely Queen?

"Would you mind if I came with, if only for a portion of the way? I'm still unsure of my destination, but I'd like to get as far away as I can, as quickly as I can."Even though the situation was hardly funny, or even the slightest bit amusing, he still tried forcing a smile and a half-hearted laugh. Both failed, and he just opted for shoving his hands in his pockets and casually smirking.

"Hah, of course." A humored look appeared on the prince's face, clearly finding this much more amusing than he was –but then again, he looked like he hadn't had a good adventure in months, and helping an apathetic prince escape his kingdom certainly was a ride.

Taking this as an invitation, Shadow walked around to the other side, opening the door with ease and slipping in, careful to keep his bag from getting banged around. Inside the car, he noticed that only the prince and his driver –who was blocked out by a partition- were present.

"No body guards?" There was a hint of humor in his voice, but he didn't dare let a smile touch his lips.

"Of course not –if they were visible, what use would they be?" Even with the playful chuckle added to the end, it was completely unnerving for the prince to speak about such matters so lightly.

Now it was Shadow's turn to silently mouth an 'oh'.

The front gate finished opening, and the car came back to life, slowly rolling past the front gate. The black-haired teen unknowingly held his breath as the gate passed by, exhaling suddenly as soon as the only thing surrounding them was green, midnight plains.

"Shadow, say hello to freedom." The white-haired male smiled, bright yellow eyes pleasantly glimmering.

"Thank you." The half-smile on his face was the closest he could get to anything relatively genuine to the internal ecstacy he was feeling.

Freedom felt so very, very sweet.

"Exciting, isn't it?" Just like everything else that came out of the prince's mouth, it was light-hearted and playful. At least, that's how it sounded, but with the hint of nonchalance added, it sent a shiver up his spine. Well, it was either that, or the fact that Shadow had only just noticed that the two rune-like tattoos on the prince's skin were glowing a dim blue.

"Without doubt. Have you ever done this, before?"

"Tried to. There was someone I couldn't leave behind, though." A distant look came over his face, softening his expression as he stared wistfully out the window - the only thing outside the car being an endless expanse of grass, a horizon of mountain tops, and a hastily disappearing city behind them. As soon as the city was completely out of sight, save for the shimmering halo of light that reached well over the mountains.

The words of the Prince hit Shadow like a brick, and his stomach twisted tight.

"Couldn't… leave behind." It's only barely above a whisper, but in the silence, it was as loud as gunfire. Silver nearly flinched at the cold words, turning his attention to the other prince –only to find his amber eyes calm and understanding. The knot in his stomach twisted just a bit tighter.

"Want to go back?" The words are caring, but Shadow felt the unintended insult like being back-handed. His fists clenched just a bit tighter on the car-seat leather, and he's glad he clipped his nails just two days prior –tearing through leather would've meant a bit of complications and more apologies than the brooding prince was willing to spew.

"No, never. This is something I have to do." The determination in his voice didn't go unnoticed, the surprised look on Silver's face turning into one of understanding.

"Very well. Driver, take us home." With a tap on the partition, Shadow could barely notice the driver even nod his head, steering the car a bit further to the west –or at least, what the Sun Prince assumed was west. When the sun was set, the black haired teen had the direction sense of a drunkard at the peak of his night. Of course, he would never admit that to anyone.

It only took another second for the silver haired male's words to set in.

"Home?" It was more of an alarmed exclamation than a curious one –he had only just met this individual, and already he was willing to take the insufferable, brooding teen in? Breathing hastened, nearly catching, Shadow gave the other monarch a curious, almost bewildered stare.

"To the Snow Tribe. Would you like to come with? I'm certain my people would be thrilled to invite a new outsider." The only thing Silver seemed capable of was pure, unadulterated kindness –perhaps even to the point of naivety. Shadow stared at him for all of a moment, before shaking his head in decline.

"No; I ran away to gain some independence. I wouldn't feel right to simply change hands." The Snow Prince nodded in response, his namesake hair falling over into his face as he did so, mingling with the white, fluffy collar that adorned his –what the Sun Prince assumed was heirloom- ornate cape.

"Admirable- for someone of your age."

"Someone of my age? How old are you?" Despite his usually calm demeanor, the aggressive teen –adult, he reminded himself- couldn't contain the hurt in his voice. Even if he had outstepped his boundaries –of both his country and social decency- he still expected to be treated like the adult he technically was. Being treated like a child was another reason why he left, to begin with.

"Twenty."

Another silent 'oh'.

A heavy silence clung to the air, most of the tension emanating from the anti-social prince.

"Well, it was pleasant meeting you, Silver, but I think I'll be alright from here." Outside, the shimmer of light on the horizon was hastily disappearing, the night sky transforming into a starry masterpiece.

"Are you sure? Not going to second guess yourself, now, are you?" He seemed more challenging than worried –as though trying to see if he was right to put his faith in Shadow's cause.

"Not a chance."

"Good. You know, you certainly remind me of someone I know." The monarch's voice trailed off, almost as though unsure of himself. "Well, I hope we meet again, perhaps on better circumstances." The Snow Prince concluded with a sunny smile.

"As do I." Was all he could manage to say, through bated breath, as Silver rolled his window up, and the car disappeared into the night. All around him was a seemingly endless expanse of wide, open space, grass and dirt and rocks being the only things around for –what appeared to be- miles.

A grin widened over his face. Just the scent of the plain made his heart race, excitement coursing through his veins.

And for the first time in nearly ten years, he laughed.

(x)

Wow, this took me SO long to finally type up, and solidify, and I'm still not comfortable with Silver's tone. He's much too formal, but later on, he'll loosen up and act more like he does in the game –the cute, naïve kid who puts his faith in anything. Oh, and Shadow will start acting more like the grim, dark and edgy kid without a past that he is. (Pffft, maybe I'll even have him claim amnesia?)

If any part sounds awkward, let me know! I'm almost ready to improve my writing!


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